Our Time is Now
by Tazzybizzy
Summary: Twenty years later Zakuro is the only original mew, leading a rebel group called 'The Haven' where people from ALL over retreated to. Now Project Savior is ready and the humans want their planet back. ON HIATUS
1. The Haven

Shhh, don't tell anyone but I should be working on another story.

Enter a Mew!

Quick Explaination: Tokyo mew mew didn't end like it did. Pai, Kishu, and Taruto were loyal, Deep Blue doesn't destroy Tokyo, the mews failed, and we are going to pretend that the last couple of episodes didn't happen.

Everyone speaks English. It's the language that the Aliens preferred and there's no more Japan or anything like that. Read and find out what I mean.

* * *

She looked around the dirty, cold compound of their underground base. The fragile forms of people clinging to life for a few more seconds with their friends and family littered the ground of this place. People from all over the retreated here, seeking refuge from the intimidating alien Retrievers.

She let out a sigh as she knew these people were sick; a person could only live underground for so long. She walked down an isle of dirty cots, passing children no older than five kneeling before their gray parents, begging them to wake up. Finally, she reached her destination; their medical lab.

"How are we on supplies Mr. Hampton?"

"No good, my dear. We are out of cold medicine and painkillers. Water and food supplies are low, as well bedding, and more people are being recovered from the labs by the second. It's also time for the shots, but we haven't got any. "

The woman pursed her lips together before replying,"The Project?"

"Coming along fine, but we are lacking technology to complete it."

Just then there was a knock at the rusting steel hatch and the women's lips lifted into a small smile.

"Who on earth is that?"

"The supplies," the women stated before taking off towards the ladder. In several long strides the woman stood under the hatch and entered a series off numbers, thus opening the hatch.

Three figures expertly climb down the ladder after the woman, despite having boxes in their hands. The first one to speak was a woman with red chin-length hair and a goofy smile on her face.

"Zakuro! I've missed you so much!" the woman shouted, as she clobbered the purple-haired woman into a hug, dropping her box.

"I've missed you too, Ichigo," Zakuro said, hugging the crying girl. Ichigo took a step back, regained her composure, and turned to the box besides her feet. She bent down and pulled out a strange looking piece of metal with a red button on top and wires sticking out.

"Takes you back doesn't it?" Ichigo said, a sober glaze over her eyes.

"Yes it does," Zakuro whispered, then turned towards the other two figures."It's nice to see you two again also, Kishu, Pai," she greeted, nodding her head as she said their names. They both nodded in acknowledgment and walked off, Pai picking up Ichigo's box as well.

Ichigo looked around and saw the condition everyone was in. But despite all the seriousness around her, she couldn't help but smile as a group of kids played tag in the makeshift schoolyard.

"How are the others?" Zakuro asked, breaking Ichigo of her reverie.

"Pudding is married and Lettuce is pregnant. You should see her, Pudding is still glowing, and Lettuce is driving the officials crazy with her mood swings and cravings," Ichigo answered, chuckling at past memories.

A small smile graced Zakuro's features for a moment before disappearing."Sounds like you guys are happy."

"Yeah, at first I thought it'd be a living hell to be with Kishu, but he sorta grows on you." Ichigo said, then suddenly becoming very interested in the dirt beneath her."You know, you can always come back with us. Kishu has the power to-"

"I can't Ichigo. These people need me," Zakuro interrupted, putting a hand on the younger woman's shoulder before walking towards the med lab; Ichigo in tow.

"I know that, but so do we," Ichigo whispered, holding back tears. The red-haired woman shook her head and planted a fake smile on her face as she looked at the woman in front of her. "I see the years have been kind to you. You still look sixteen while I'm over here looking like my mom!"

Zakuro smiled and shook her head and opened the door to the med lab where Pai was hooking up several pieces of equipment.

"How's it going?" Zakuro asked.

"Almost done, you'll have your saviors in about two hours."

"Thank you. Mr. Hampton, how are the sick doing?"

"Much better. Kishu and myself have managed to get all those in pain sleeping and mend those who were coughing. Tomorrow we will be able to administer the shots," the man said, surveying a clipboard in front of him."And we'll be able to get Project Savior running an hour after Pai is finished."

"Good to hear, what's the death count for the week?" she grimly asked.

"Minimal. 100 people. Mostly the old and the sick."

"Okay," she whispered then picked up a box and walked out with Ichigo on her heels.

"That was minimal?" Ichigo asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Many people cannot handle living underground for so long."

"How long do most of them make it?" Ichigo asked, curious for this was her first visit to 'The Haven'.

"Depends. Those whose will to live is strong and are young live about forty. Others, are not so fortunate."

"What's this 'Project' about?" Ichigo asked, using finger quotations.

"We found Ryou's research."

That name made Ichigo's heart sink as the memories of her deceased friends invaded her mind.

-Flashback-

"Please my lord, spare them. Strip them of their power and let them live with us," Kishu pleaded alongside Pai and Taruto.

After several moments of thinking Deep Blue finally answered,"Okay. For being so loyal in my fight for power, not only will I give you a spot in my Inner Circle, you may also keep your filthy humans. _Only _after I strip them of their power."

"Thank you," all three said at the same time before teleporting to a safe place.

Deep Blue raised his sword to his shoulder then swiped it towards the Mew team, sending a glowing blue force with it.

"Onee-sama!" Mint shouted as she stood in front of Zakuro, shielding her from the light with her powers. The light swept passed them and four of the Mews screamed in agony. Mint was going through the most pain as it began killing her.

The light passed and Zakuro stood, still in her Mew form, staring at the dead Mint at her feet. Tears spilled from her eyes as she fell to her knees and cried over her dead friend.

"Foolish girl," Deep Blue said, glaring at the blue Mew.

Tears were now uncontrollably falling form Zakuro's eyes to a point she couldn't see at all.

"ZAKURO! Be strong! You can still save the Earth! Project Savior!" Ryou yelled until Deep Blue teleported and lunged his sword through the blonde's chest.

"Ryou!" Keiichiro yelled, revealing his hiding spot. Deep Blue glared and teleported over to him and in one swift turn, slit the man's throat.

Zakuro cried until her tears refused to come and she shakily stood up. She turned towards the café that was just a few yards away, and lashed out at it with her whipped; destroying the foundation.

The café crumbled, destroying everything. Zakuro turned towards her friends and whispered a goodbye before lashing her whip in the air and disappearing into a portal that was left behind from the alien trio.

-End Flashback.-

"He had it in a safe that survived the, incident, and twenty long years later, here we are. Moments from having the Mews back to save us from this life."

Ichigo very well knew that Zakuro hasn't cried since that day. She knew she couldn't; not anymore.

"W-What about the labs?" Ichigo asked, having been to only hear rumors about them.

"People from there have been rescued and trained in combat. They are only in those labs because they have DNA required for Project Savior."

"Will you lead them?" Ichigo asked, her voice breaking.

"No. I cannot risk leaving these people, am I their leader."

Ichigo mentally let out the breath she was holding before speaking again,"How is the school?"

"Better, we have gotten some teachers from all over."

"At least the children have something to blind them from all this."

"They can only blind for so long," Zakuro said, stepping through the doorway cover with a tattered curtain to reveal a small, make-shift classroom with three dozen kids crammed in it.

Zakuro slightly smiled as the children greeted her. She set the box down, knelt before it, and began passing out the school supplies that Pai and Kishu managed to steal for them.

She nodded at the teacher in acknowledgment and led Ichigo out of the classroom.

"Ichigo, I've been meaning to ask. How is Japan?"

"Japan?" Ichigo questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her eyes widened in recognition and grimly answered," I'm sorry Zakuro. Tokyo, let alone Japan, hasn't been called that in years, it's now Sector five, quadrant four, area one."

"What?"

"All the continents, countries, states, cities, town, everything, have been renamed by where they are located. Asia is sector five, Japan is in the fourth quadrant, and Tokyo is area one, for the former capital. I'm sorry, but hardly anyone knows what Japan is."

"They just replaced our entire culture with a number?!"

Ichigo sadly nodded.

"What of our flag?"

"Gone, the aliens have taken over the world, basically."

"Then we'll take it back."

* * *

Okay, just a little idea I had bouncing around and threatened to kill me if I didn't write it.

It's a Mew submittion story.

And please, no murders or sad stuff. The aliens have been in rule for 20 years! They put the humans through hell, why would they kill each other?

Remember, the new mews won't have a clue who the other mews really are, other than they use to be mews.

I want a variety of Mews, not all Artic animals from Japan, okay? Let's try, Germany, America, Anywhere you want, anything you want!

Name:

Nickname Opt.:

Age:

From: (like where are they from?)

Gender:

Personality: (Any is accepted, if I even got a pacifist mew, that would be cool.)

Hair:

Eyes:

Physique: (Fat, skinny, tall, short, get the idea?)

Discovered:(This one means, were they recuse from a lab, came here on their own, came with family, been through the training, an assassin sent to kill Zakuro but got caught?)

Skills: (Speak french? Acrobatic?)

Habits: (Hair twirler? Nail biter?)

Background:

Fears:

Dreams:

Intelligence level:(Humans don't go to school cause the aliens wouldn't let them.)

Mew name:

Transformation Phrase:

Mew description:(Outfit, hair, eyes, etc)

Mew animal:

Weapon name & description:

Attack name & description:

Other quirks:

How do you feel about your character dying/being injured/other bad things?:


	2. Intros

Thank you for the mews, I could still use a few more though. Think mini army. If you already gave me a mew, don't give another. I'll just see how many more I get and see if I like them.

I'm hooked on the twins! C.S- Oh god your mews are awesome!

I got so many freaking awesome mews!

* * *

The girl grunted with effort as she kicked her tall target in the chest and did a back-flip off him, crashing him to the ground.

She smirked at him and was about to jump on his chest when the purple-haired training instructor stepped in.

"Good job Mickey. Smart to use your opponent's height against them."

"Yeah, smart," the brown-haired boy said as he painfully got up.

"You're just mad because you got beat by a-"

"Move it!"

"Excuse us!" two girls said as they sped past them, fighting two other people.

"Willow, Hawthorn, Yukai, Ukime! That's enough, training is over for today," the instructor said.

"Okay Ms. Zakuro," Ukime politely said. The four people settled down and walked over to the rest of their friends and teacher.

"Where is Jazz, Mel, Valor, Acedia, and Mr. Seru?" Ukime asked her twin, Yukai.

"Don't know, maybe their doing something naughty," Yukai answered, the right side of her lips lifting into a half smile that Ukime completed by lifting the left side of hers.

"That's just creepy man!" the tall boy said.

"Shut up Dan!" the other twins, Willow and Hawthorn, said at the same time.

"Creeeepy," a strawberry blonde girl said, walking over to them. Behind her were two dirty blondes, a brunette with red bangs, and a tall, skinny boy who was holding a smaller boy's hand.

"Ah, Mr. Seru, how nice of you to join us!" said the boy with a white bandana wrapped around his head.

"Shut up Dan," 'Mr.' Seru said, casting a glare a him.

"What is this,'Tell-Dan-to-Shut-Up' day?!"

"Ah thought that was Frahday," the girl with red and brown hair drawled.

"Well my southern friend, you apparently didn't get the memo," Dan curtly replied.

Zakuro cleared her throat to remind the group she was still present, which they obviously forgot from how red they turned when they looked at her.

"Hello Ms./Madame. Zakuro," the six newly present people said.

"Hello, training is dismissed. Acedia, I need to talk to you for a moment."

"Oooh, Acedia's in trouble," Dan taunted, perfectly mimicking a kinder-gardener.

"Artemis-" Zakuro started.

"Yeah I know, shut up," Dan, 'real name' Artemis, said.

Acedia quietly followed Zakuro to a quiet corner that was out of hearing range of the small group of friends.

"We found your file," Zakuro cooly stated.

"Really?! Where?"

"French lab. We think it's why you know French so fluently," Zakuro said, handing the girl a yellow folder.

Acedia's eyes watered as she read the first sentence of the file and looked up at her teacher."Mah name is Anna-Marie!" Acedia squealed in joy.

Zakuro slightly smiled at the girl's excitement for a moment before continuing,"We could only find your name, nothing more. I'm sorry."

"Don' be sorray! This is big! Thank ya so much!" Acedia shouted, hugging the life out of Zakuro.

"So are you going to tell your friends?"

"Hell no, I lahke the name The Haven gave meh." Acedia answered before handing back the file and running back to her friends.

"What did Ms. Zakuro want?" Seru asked.

Acedia smiled a devious smile that read,'If I told, then I'll have to kill you', causing an involuntary shiver run down his spine.

"So what do we do now?" Artemis asked, fidgeting with his bandana.

"Well ah say we fahnd somethin' quick 'fore ah tear that bandana off yo' head," Acedia said, smirking at the look he gave her.

"Well you guys have fun deciding, I have to go teach at class to the little kids," Melody, a dirty blonde also known as Mel, said.

"I don't know how you stand them," Yukai said, shuddering at the thought of little kids.

"They're adorable!" her opposite, Ukime, said, picking up the little boy that had a death grip on Seru."Isn't that right Kibo?" she asked, before setting the eight year-old down from not having enough strength.

The little boy with light blue hair just giggled and nodded at her before grabbing his big brother's hand again.

"Actually, we need you to come with us," a voice said from behind them. The group of friends froze as most of them heard that line be said by the Retrievers. Artemis was the first to swallow his fear and turn around to face the voice. He sighed and laughed at how stupid they were acting when he saw it was Kishu and Pai standing before him.

The others turned around in confusion and immediately relaxed when they saw who it was.

"God dammit Kishu! Ya nearly scared me t' death!"

He grinned deviously before replying,"Sorry, but Mr. Hampton wants to talk to you guys."

"Why?" Ukime and Yukai nervously asked at the same time, gripping each others hands.

"Don't worry, you won't get separated. He just wants to ask a few questions, do a little check up, the usual."

His words calmed the two sets of twins down as everyone began following him to the med lab.

"Ah, hello the future of tomorrow."

"What future?" Yukai grimly asked, receiving a light hit on the arm from her sister.

"What tomorrow?" Acedia asked, receiving a harder hit on the arm, also by Ukime.

"Well if you come with me, we will discuss it when we are finished," Mr./Dr. Hampton said, leading the two twins into a curtained off area.

Five poker games later, Acedia winning four out of five(for it was her turn for a check-up), everyone was standing around, waiting for Dr. Hampton to tell them why they were there.

"Well everyone, as you know Pai, Kishu, and Taruto have been helping us here with Project Savior, do you all know what that is?" Of course they knew. It was what gave them the will to live another day, to hope. Still, they gave the doctor a slight nod."Well, it's complete, and you all are the strongest we have here."

To say they were shocked would be an understatement. "What do you mean we're the strongest?" Valor asked, eyes wandering like everyone else's to all the extremely skinny people, including herself.

"You have seen the conditions around you, right? Well anyway, before we change you twelve, we are going to wait and see if there are any others strong enough."

"Twelve?" Seru asked, gripping his little brother's hand a little tighter.

"Yes, Kibo has the DNA needed for the project, so he will be injected also. We just have to hope that his body accepts it."

"So in a few hours, we're suppose to take back our planet?" Valor asked, excited yet extremely nervous.

"Yes."

The teens paused for a second, letting the information sink in, then broke out shouting and cheering.

"Yeah! I'm gonna get those bastards for wha' they did t' mah Mississippi riva!" Acedia cheered in a vicious voice. A voice that wanted revenge, wanted blood.

"Hell yeah! They're going to pay for what they to my Brooklyn!" Artemis shouted in an equally vicious voice.

The others understood how they felt. When the alien army first came, they landed in America. Landing in Mississippi and New York, destroying both in minutes.

"Yes, but for now, you are dismissed."

The teens left the med lab (Melody was excused from teaching) and wandered to their favorite spot, Garden of Hope. Hope, as it was called, was a small spot where a small sakura tree grew along with some colorful flowers. This reminded everyone that no matter what was going on, a flower can still live, so why can't they?

Jazz and Acedia sat with there back against the tree, Artemis sandwiched in-between them, peacefully resting their heads on his shoulders; all three with their eyes closed. Ukime and Yukai ironically sat in a patch of white and black flowers, in the shape of the ying-yang sign.

The very twins were living proof of that balance. Yukai with her olive-toned skin, being wild, independent, and untrusting, was balanced out by her sister with her ivory skin, calm, sharing, and forgiving nature. Together they were the Saguku Sisters.

Melody , Valor, and Mickey laid on the thin layer of grass, the top of their heads touching, Valor explain to the other two how to assemble something called a ship.

Seru sat Indian style, Kibo protectively buried in his lap, reviewing what the younger one learned in school that day. Hawthorn laid on his back, his long brown hair released of its ponytail, while his sister used his stomach as a pillow, her ponytail comfortably stretching over to his side, talking that once they become Mews, they'll have to fight, they'll have to kill.

"Hey Dan?" Jazz called out, eyes still closed.

"Hmm?"

"What's the bandana stand for?" Jazz asked, being the fourth to recent person of the group to show up at The Haven.

"Patrons of Freedom," he cooly answered.

"What's that?" Valor piped up.

"A group of tahkes(1) whose parents had been attacked, leavin' 'em fo' dead," Acedia answered, having heard the story before.

Even after hearing that grim reply, a peaceful silence fell over them. That was just the way of the garden.

"Were you their leader?" Jazz suddenly asked.

Artemis gave a small laugh before answering,"No, I was their weapons specialist, and I was a good one dammit. I could field strip an AK-47 blindfolded."

"Ah forgot, was that the one that shoots _reallah_ fast?" Acedia asked, her eyes still closed in content.

"No, it's the one that shoots chocolate milk," he dryly replied.

"I like chocolate milk," Mickey joked.

"Who doesn't?" Melody asked.

"Me," Acedia, Jazz, and Yukai stated.

"Downers," Seru retorted.

"Betta believe it .M'sieu Seru,"Acedia said.

"_Vous êtes un tel ennui,_" Ukime said, the French words rolling off her tongue.

Acedia grinned before answering,"Show-off. _Et je suis fier de celui._"

"_De même._"

"Okay, let's shift this conversation back into English, shall we?" Artemis ordered.

"So, what did Zakuro tell you?" Seru asked.

"Ah know mah name now," Acedia calmly stated, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What is it? Julie? Isabel? Marko?" Artemis playfully questioned.

"Do ah have t' tell ya?"

Next thing Acedia knew, she was pinned down by Melody, who had a murderous glint in her eyes,"Tell me!"

"You have to tell us! None of us here actually know you," Willow pleaded.

"Mah lahfe story, gotta wait fo' the movie," Acedia said before easily sweeping a short Melody off her and standing up. "Mah name is Anna-Marie," she said before walking away.

A small shocked silence fell as they watched Acedia's retreating form.

"Does anyone here actually know much about her?" Valor asked.

"I sorta do," Artemis admitted.

"What's her story?" Ukime curiously asked.

"Similar to most of ours. Something happened to her parents, leaving her orphaned at three. Adopted at four, her 'mom' brought her here and left with no promise of return, didn't even tell them her name or anything. She can't remember anything before The Haven. So Zakuro named her, stuck her with some random people to take care of her until she could do it, and boom. The Acedia we have today, still trying to figure out her past," Artemis explained.

"Wow," Jazz said.

"Basically, rope together all of our stories and throw them on one feisty southern, and you have Acedia," Artemis simplified.

"She was the first one here out our little group?" Yukai asked.

Artemis nodded, leaning his head against the tree and closing his eyes again.

"When did you met her?" Ukime asked.

"Can't remember," he answered, or more like he didn't want to remember. So many of the Patrons of Freedom were killed that day, if it wasn't for Kishu, he wouldn't even be alive or at The Haven."It's wasn't really my place to spill Acedia's story to you guys, so let's pretend I didn't."

The reply was a bunch of 'Thanks' and 'Okays' and the group stood up and went to their cots, for they new it was late and they'd be having an eventful day tomorrow.

* * *

Still accepting mews. But only from authors that haven't submitted yet.

1. If you can't read it, it says Tykes.

French. The meanings aren't exact, but close enough.

_Vous êtes un tel ennui- _You are such an annoyance.

_Et je suis fier de celui_- And I am proud of that_._

_De même-_ likewise.


	3. Retrievers

**I've been having a pretty crappy week. So let's take it out on The Haven and its occupants. This is also to show I'm not dead or anything. **

**I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.**

**I am not making any money from this fic.**

* * *

With a groan, the sallow teenaged boy rose from his small cot. He turned his head and smiled at the sight of his younger brother sleeping peacefully beside him, before he let his head drop to his pillow again.

Suddenly, he felt a small weight on his lower back, steadily increasing with each progressing moment.

"Wake up you lazy bum!" Yukai yelled, then tipped the lanky boy's cot over, leaving it on top of him. He let out another groan as he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his feet.

"That's better Mr. Seru," she said, smiling and lightly slapping his face as she passed him.

"What are we doing?" Seru mumbled, his brain still asleep.

"Well fo' now, yah gonna put on a shirt. Then we're goin' t' see Dr. Hampton t' get injected with the Project Saviah," Acedia explained, yawning.

"Oh yeah," Seru stated, as all the memories of yesterday came flooding back. He looked down and noticed he didn't have a shirt on, exposing his unnaturally skinny chest to the world. He threw on a ratty green shirt as Ukime gently woke up his brother.

"Ready to go?" Mickey asked anxiously. The group set out towards the medical lab, still half asleep.

Acedia slung her arm over Artemis's shoulders and shifted most of her weight onto him before tiredly saying, "Carry meh."

"Not unless you carry me first," he mindlessly replied, slinging his arm over her shoulders and shifting his weight on her.

"I'll carry ya, if you carry meh."

"I don't think the laws of science would agree with that."

"Don't you mean Physics?" Melody asked.

"I dunno," came the tired reply.

Yukai sighed before saying, "Quit complaining! We're _all_ tired, so shut up and get your butts in gear so we can get this over with and go back to sleep."

"Come on guys! What happened to all that spunk from yesterday?!" Mickey shouted cheerfully, receiving glares from all those who were dead on their feet. She grinned sheepishly. "Okay, no spunk."

Finally, after what seemed like ages, they reached the medical lab where they found Dr. Hampton standing in the middle of the room, waiting. Upon seeing their arrival, he excitedly asked, "Are you ready?"

The twins clasped each others hands before nodding. Jazz and Acedia had Artemis's arms in death grips as they nodded. Melody, Valor, and Micky all grabbed each other's hands, and Seru's grip on his brother's shoulder tightened slightly. Dr. Hampton pressed a red button hidden behind a curtain, and the teens were bathed in a ominous red light.

The light shone for several seconds until electricity crackled within the machines and a small explosion occurred behind them. The light changed from red to orange, and then to blue, before going back to red again. The light faded, and Dr. Hampton came out from behind the curtain, his face twisted into an expression of horror as he gazed at the twelve bodies lying on the ground. He checked the vitals of each and every one twice before calming down and getting someone to set them on some stretchers.

The first one to wake up was Artemis, to a pounding headache. He groaned as he brought his legs to the edge of the bed and stood up, but he had to quickly sit down again as his head began spinning.

"Are you alright Mr. Daniels?" Dr. Hampton asked, concerned.

"I'll live. What happened?"

"Well, it seems there was a problem with the beam. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yep," he said, demonstrating that he could stand up now; his head had stopped spinning.

A weak groan sounded from besides him as Seru began to stir.

"Better start explaining what happened to his brother before he flips out Doc," Artemis whispered to the doctor.

"Mr. Kinomi, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, how's my brother?"

"He is yet to wake up," the doctor had barely finished saying before he was pinned against the wall by the very lanky boy.

"Wanna run that by me again?" Seru threatened dangerously.

"Hey daddy-kins, let go o' the man… Kibo will be just fahne," Acedia groaned as she sat up. Seru let go of the doctor and mumbled an apology before sitting by his brother's side.

"And how are you, young Acedia?"

"Just fahne."

Several hours later, everyone woke up – all except Kibo.

"I'm so sorry about this, it seems something went wrong," Dr. Hampton apologized anxiously, ignoring the death glare from the young boy's over-protective brother. Seru stood up from his stool and walked up to the doctor, mere inches from his face, Artemis ready to interfere in case the protective boy suddenly attacked.

"Fix him," Seru demanded, through clenched teeth.

A small whimper came from behind him, and he saw his brother's eyes open, masked with fear. Immediately he pulled his younger brother into a gentle hug.

"How are you feeling, young Kinomi?" Dr. Hampton asked.

"Weird."

"A good weird, or a bad weird?"

"Bad weird." As he said the words, his big brother's grip tightened. Dr. Hampton scribbled something down before walking over to a drawer and pulling out a needle.

"I'll need to take some blood samples," he announced, getting some alcohol pads and band-aids ready. He took everyone's blood and sent them on their merry way, for it took hours to process the results with the primitive technology they had underground.

"What do we do now?" Mickey asked.

"Ah dunno Micky Mouse – what do yah wanna do?" Acedia asked the younger girl.

"It's about time for lunch."

"Lunch it is!" Jazz yelled enthusiastically. The large group maneuvered their way over to the old picnic table and sat down. Jazz, Ukime, Seru, and Valor went up to the kitchen and plopped everyone's food down on a tray. They returned to their table and dropped the trays in front of the right person, starting their meals.

"So what kind of animal do yah think yah are?" Acedia asked as she poked the gray paste in front of her with a spoon.

"Probably something cool like an eagle," Artemis answered, grinning broadly.

"Yeah right, you're probably going to be an earthworm," Yukai teased.

"I don't know; he's pretty much a big teddy bear," Mickey said, eyeing Acedia's small cookie. Acedia rolled her eyes, handing the cookie to the sugar-lover before saying, "Ah dunno, he's from New York, so he's probably a pigeon." She snickered.

"I wonder what went wrong," Melody pondered.

"Maybe Pai hooked up a wrong wire or something," Ukime answered with a shrug.

"Or maybe someone's DNA made the computer puke," Yukai offered.

"Wow, that sounded _real_ smart," Artemis said as he shoveled the gray paste into his mouth. Yukai punched the Brooklynite teen in the shoulder, causing him to drop his tray.

"Hey!"

"Here, have mine," Willow said, sliding her tray towards the bottomless pit that was Artemis.

"Thank you," Artemis said, before digging in. After a few moments of watching Artemis eat like a pig, a small boy with messy blonde hair came running up to the group, panting.

"Dr. Hampton, wants to see you!" he gasped in between pants.

The group stood up, put their trays away, and walked their way down towards the medical lab. They entered to find the doctor bustling around, looking slightly deranged.

Yukai impatiently cleared her throat, causing the doctor to stop and look at his audience.

"Oh, hello. You got here quicker than I expected. Well the blood results are ready," he announced. There was a dramatic pause, while everyone awaited the rest of his findings. "And everything is alright… Except for a few things."

"What?!" Micky shouted, the suspense killing her.

"Some of you have. . . _unique_ DNA now."

"What do you mean?" Melody inquired.

"Well, like you for example, Ms. Konami. You have a different transformation phrase," he explained. "And you two, Mr. and Ms. Winza – your phrase is different as well."

"Why?" Will and Hawthorn asked, frowning.

"It may be because of the ray... It changed through an array of colors before returning to the red it was initially meant to be."

"So, some of us are different?" Artemis asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, but the only way to confirm this is to have you transform," the doctor said, pulling a metal case out of a safe. He opened the case and twelve oval-shaped pendants tumbled out, each a different colour from the rest.

"Oh, and one more thing. Mr. Kinomi, I'm afraid Kibo's DNA didn't accept the process. He cannot transform, but he _can_ do… other things."

"Like what?" Seru demanded nervously.

"He has the ability to change into any small animal, or even just a part of that animal... His time as a full animal will be limited, however."

"Is it fatal?"

"No," Dr. Hampton answered, handing each teenager a pendant. "Now, transform."

They were all reluctant and nervous, so no one moved. Finally, Artemis blurted out the words, "Mew Mew Sabor, Metamorphosis!"

A gray light flashed before the teenagers' and doctor's eyes, but for Artemis it was prolonged. When the grey light faded, Artemis stood in a full gray jumpsuit, with brownish coyote ears and a tail. He smirked as he repositioned a white headband on his head.

He turned to the others and flashed them a confident grin before saying, "Nothing to it!"

"Careful tigah, that ego of yours may crush us t' death," Acedia teased, then looked to her pendant as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Mew Mew Diable, Metamorphosis!" she blurted.

A dark light flashed, just like before, and Acedia was uniformed in all-black leather. Her pants, bulky combat boots, and an off-the-shoulder, long sleeved shirt were all made of a thick yet flexible leather material.

"Oh yeah, this is more lahke it!" the Southerner shouted, admiring the diagonal white slash across her chest, and tracing above her belly button, where the top cut off..

"Young Acedia, I forgot to tell you something," the doctor said. He waited until she made eye contact with him before he continued, "You seem to have an illness… a fatal kind of cancer that can only be spread by your saliva."

"What?" she snapped, masking the fear in her voice with hostility.

"Oh no my dear, you're immune to it," he explained. Acedia let out the breath she was holding, before going back to admiring her black ears and bushy tail.

"Well, hurry up!" Dr. Hampton impatiently ordered the rest of the Mews. Valor, Willow, Hawthorn, Melody, Yukai, Ukime, Jazz, Seru, and Mickey all shouted at the same time.

"Hochwasser, Mew Mew Wave, Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Rue, activate!"

"Mew Mew Saffron, activate!"

"Mew Mew Snow angel, activate!"

"Mew Mew Misery, Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Joy, Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Sun Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Kin, Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Field, Metamorphosis!"

A flash of dazzling light blinded the doctor for a moment, but as it faded, the Saviors were transformed.

"Very good, now I will examine each and every one of you to look for any differences or complications."

The good doctor walked over to a file cabinet and pulled out eleven manila folders. As he was about to set them down on the metal table before him, a large explosion sounded, followed by panicked screaming.

Dr. Hampton jerked his head towards the Saviors as he shouted, "Get out there and protect the people!"

With no further explanation needed, the Saviors took off running towards the source of the explosion. Fighting against the crowd, they arrived at the Garden of Hope to see it burning, and covered in fallen debris.

But what shocked them the most was the group of aliens, all clad in black, marching into The Haven. They weren't normal aliens – they were Drones. Nothing but lifeless Drones, hidden behind the black masks that covered half of their faces.

Mickey's stomach lurched as she whispered the familiar, yet horrifying word, "Retrievers."

As the word fell from her lips, the entire army snapped their heads toward the Saviors in unison. They emotionlessly lifted their energy guns and began firing. Apparently they had been ordered to not hurt anyone, for they had their guns on stun. If they were out to really hurt any one, the guns would have been shooting exploding bullets.

"What do we do?!" the youngest of the Saviors, Willow, yelled as she duck out of the way of a bolt of electricity.

"Will, calm down and remember you training." Artemis put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before turning his attention back to the Retrievers. After Will finally got her head straight, she reluctantly began disabling Retrievers while her brother finished them off.

In a desperate attempt to keep her sister safe, Yukai blurted out the words, "Misery Blade!"

Mere seconds later, a huge sword materialized in her hands. Other than being ridiculously large, the blade was just like any other. What drew the most attention was the Gothic, medieval design on the heavy hilt, embedded with glittering rubies.

Without thinking, Yukai stepped in front of her sister, protecting her from the army. Not even giving the Retrievers time to realize their demise, Yukai shouted the words that formed on her tongue, "Ribbon, Ruby Melancholy Strike!"

Swinging her sword, a wave of deep crimson sped its way towards the impassive army. It bulldozed through the crowd, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind it. When the wave of light disappeared, Yukai stood frozen, staring with wide eyes at her sword.

"Wow." The mono-syllable word was all she could mutter, for a river of electricity was coming her way.

Ukime, who had watched everything, immediately felt an urge to protect her sister growing, and she stepped in front on her twin, shouting, "Ecstasy Shield!"

She stared at the round, golden shield that held a vine-like pattern that curled out from the center, for only a moment before she continued, "Ribbon, Sapphire Bliss Shelter!"

A blue-green screen appeared around her and her sister and they watched as the electricity ricocheted back towards the Retrievers.

All was going well for the Saviors – that is, until the Retrievers brought out the big guns. It took three of the Retrievers to set up the large gun. They pressed a single red button, then teleported away. A wave of electricity rolled towards everyone in a one-mile radius and rendered them unconscious, except for the few who quickly sought protection.

"Put meh down!" Acedia yelled as a Retriever put his arms around her waist, trying to carry her back to the small ship. Acedia squirmed until the lower half of her body was practically dragging on the floor, and the Retriever's arm was right in front of her face. Without a thought, she clamped her teeth down on his arm, praying the so-called cancer in her saliva would kill him soon.

The Retriever pushed Acedia's face down into the dirt, a knee pressed between her shoulder blades, and called for backup. Minutes later, several more Retrievers were trying to wrestle the Southerner Savior into a pair of cuffs.

Lucky for Acedia, Yukai was still conscious. The negative twin bounded over and slashed several of the Retrievers in half with her sword, splattering blood everywhere. After a few more strikes, Yukai had Acedia free of the Retrievers and was helping her up, only to have the Southerner fall down – evidently, her ankle was broken.

"Yukai, where's Ukime?" the Southerner asked, wiping a mixture of dirt and blood off her face.

The mention of her twins name caused Yukai's heart to beat at an alarming rate. She frantically looked around, seeing only rubble and the many corpses of the Retrievers. "She's gone," she whispered grimly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Let's go look for the othahs," Acedia said firmly, trying to calm the girl down. Yukai, who felt her voice would betray her by breaking, just nodded silently. A few painful moments later, everyone who was conscious was resting in the medical lab.

"All right, roll call," Dr. Hampton joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Seeing no one was laughing, he looked down at his clipboard and check off the name of all who were there.

"So Artemis, Melody, Mickey, Ukime, Vala, Willow, Hawthorn, and Jazz are _all_ missing?" he asked in disbelief.

"They aren't missing, they were kid-napped," a serious, familiar voice answered. Zakuro stepped into the medical lab and stood next to the doctor. "I've never seen that weapon been used before. They must have been planning this."

"So, What do we do now?" Seru asked, clutching his brother, who had to stay in the lab for his safety.

"We go and get everyone."

"How?"

"Acedia, do you think you can sneak in?" Zakuro asked seriously.

"No, mah ankle hurts a lot."

Zakuro pursed her lips into a thin line of concentration before speaking, "Do we have anyone else?"

"Kibo, we have Kibo!" Yukai shouted, happy to find a way to save her sister.

"Hell no! We are not sending my little brother into the heart of a war!" Seru yelled furiosuly, protectively standing in front of the eight year-old.

"Please Seru. They have my sister! They have all our friends!"

"I-I can't let him do something so dangerous," Seru said firmly. He was going to continue, but felt a small tug on his green scarf. He looked down at his brother, his expression questioning.

"I want to help," Kibo said determinedly, smiling hugely, the way only a little kid could. With a sigh, Seru kneeled down before his brother and told him, "Kibo, it will be very dangerous, are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes."

Seru sighed as he stood up and reluctantly said, "Okay, send in my brother."

* * *

**I only do Acedia's accent because I love accents, but I'll most likely offend if I try any other accent. Accents are just the way of the Cartoon Archive =P but I can stop if it confuses people.**

The poor Tasmanian Devils are dying! There's a cancer that spreads wheneverthey bite something and it's so sad!

If you can crack my code, here's a little peek of the next chapter: (Hint: Some of it's backwards, some of it is misspelled, and others are just symbols used to represent a character. Like K means Kibo)

**Note to self: K sah to stael TH info kcab from the AR group at the AB/IC. K also sevas the MNed peeps.**

Kibo is just too cute! Next time, we get to see what the Inner Circle looks like. Also, Yukai argues to go with Kibo.


	4. Inner Circle

Sorry for the late update.. My life got blown to hell, so I didn't have time to write. Really sorry. If I have any fans left, you guys rock!

x-x-x

The one thing Artemis _hated_ was the sound of water. Flashbacks of when he was nearly drowned in the Hudson by the pigs - otherwise known as Retrievers - ran through his mind as he was carried away with several other Saviors. Right at this moment, the sound of rushing water mercilessly invaded his mind.

Opening his eyes, he found a black strip of cloth covering them. Nuzzling the cloth against his shoulder, he finally wiggled his blindfold off. Surveying his surroundings, he guessed he was in the Inner Circle holding cell. It was a dim, cold room, stacked with cages that didn't know the meaning of 'personal space'; the only light coming from a small, sealed window.

Looking at the window, Artemis could see part of a river violently rushing by. With a shudder, he squinted through the dark until he spotted the form of his teammate, Ukime. Looking around, he saw that most of his teammates were held in cages, closely packed together, like his. Already having a plan set in mind, Artemis began working the ropes around his wrist with his teeth.

"_Idiots," _Artemis thought, as he easily finished untying his wrist. While unbinding his feet, he noticed the others beginning to stir. The first to speak was the youngest, Willow.

"H-hello? Anyone–?"

"Shhh! They'll hear us. Just calm down, Will," Artemis whispered. Pinpointing his position, Willow nodded in Artemis's direction.

"Art, what do we do?" Ukime asked from the cage beside him.

Putting his plan into action, he whispered to Ukime, "Follow my voice, and lean against the side of the cage."

Following his orders, Ukime leaned against her cage and jumped when she felt hands untying the ropes binding her wrists. Once she was untied, they repeated the action until everyone was untied, and started thinking of a way to get out of their situation.

"Can't we just break the cages?" Jazz asked from a far-off corner.

"Not unless we want them to hear us," Artemis answered. Silence fell on them as they devised a plan to open the cramped cages. Suddenly, a crazy scheme wormed its way into Mickey's brain. Slightly crouched in her cage, she yelled as quietly as she could, "Field mouse!"

A tan colored whip that resembled a mouse tail appeared in Mickey's hand. Before anyone could register what she was doing, she blurted, "Ribbon Field slashes!"

Several slashes of lights hit the mouse-Mew's cage, and pieces of metal fell to the ground.

"Are you crazy?!" Melody cried, but was immediately hushed by the others.

"Yep," Mickey answered with an insane smirk. Without another word, the yellow-eyed Mew freed everyone from their cages.

"All right, someone must have heard that, so let's get the hell out of here," Artemis said, leaning over an electronic scanner near the door. "All right; that's a no-go."

Artemis looked around the room for a few seconds before striking upon an idea. Jumping on top of the many cages, he found a vent. "Over here, guys. I knew they had to be pumping air in here from somewhere."

"Can you get it open?" Jazz asked impatiently. Artemis nodded as he got to work on loosening the stubborn screen from the wall. Finally, after many curses and minor cuts, he yanked it open.

"Get up here!" he called down to the others. After clumsily climbing the cages, everyone huddled near the narrow vent.

"Okay, Ukime: you get in first. Any trouble heads our way, you'll be able to clear it while the rest of us are getting out."

Reluctantly agreeing with the older boy, Ukime hoisted her somewhat anorexic body into the air vent. Next to go in was Mickey, considering her attack could do some decent damage. Following her was Vala, Jazz, Melody, Hawthorn, Willow, and bringing up the rear was none other than the Brooklynite teen.

"Hey Art, where the heck am I going?" Ukime asked, looking past the squished bodies behind her and into their unofficial leader's eyes.

"Keep going until you find light. When you do, quietly check if there are any Retrievers anywhere, then carefully open the vent. Don't let your guard down for a second. All of you hear me?" Artemis directed the last bit at all of them, who responded with quiet nods. With a short nod from Artemis' head, Ukime began squirming her way through the vents.

The voyage through the vents was pretty awkward for some. They mostly kept their eyes down; trying not to think of the outfits they were in, whilst wiggling through the air ducts. After several uncomfortable moments, Ukime spoke in a hushed voice, "I found an opening, and there's no one near it. I'm going to check it out."

Receiving a nod of approval from Artemis, Ukime nervously opened the screen. Crawling out, she immediately pressed herself against the wall, disappearing into the shadows. Inspecting the room, Ukime's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

The room was circular in shape; smothered in red velvet. The dome-like ceiling had elaborate golden markings, accented by the navy blue Corinthian-style pillars. Remembering where she was, and why, Ukime motioned for the others to crawl out. In mere seconds, everyone was free of the tunnel, with Artemis leading them through the beautiful - yet sinister - palace.

They were halfway down a dark hallway when they heard soft voices drifting up to them. Peaking around a corner, Artemis saw two guards casually leaning against the wall. Pressing his back against the wall again, he hung intently to their every word.

"You hear the humans finally got that Mew project thing running?" asked a guard with a long spear, and white hair.

"Yeah, but I heard that they already caught half of them. Pathetic really, spending twenty years hoping, only to have it crushed. The humans are so stupid," the opposing, black-haired guard replied.

"I wouldn't talk about the humans like that with the Zanshin wandering around," the white-haired alien guard warned, fear intense in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of them! How bad can they be if they keep filthy humans around as their _equals_?"

"Would you like to find out?" a deep, emotionless voice asked from behind. Artemis poked his head around the corner to see a tall alien with purple hair approaching the pair. Realization hit; Artemis identified the man as the Cyniclon, Pai.

"Ikasu Zanshin, sir, my apologies!" the white haired guard respectfully said, saluting the man with a fist to the heart and a bow.

"At ease. What were you saying about humans, guard?" the taller man challenged.

"N-Nothing at all, Ikasu Zanshin," the ebony-haired guard stuttered, bowing like the first guard had.

'Ikasu Zanshin' narrowed his eyes, contemplating killing the worthless guard, until a gentle hand touched his shoulder.

"Pai, don't," a kind, soft voice pleaded. Pai turned around - out of Artemis's view - to exchange a few words with the person behind him.

Artemis stretched his neck around the corner even further to see who was crazy enough to order the intimidating man around. Standing behind the purple-haired man was a woman with lime-green hair. Her eyes were gentle and kind, but there was an air of power and intimidation around her. She was dressed in a dark purple night gown that reached the floor, which had a light green vine-like pattern twirling up to her thigh. Even with a very large baby bump, the woman looked absolutely beautiful.

Then Artemis noticed the stark difference between her and the other three in the room: this woman was _human_.

Pai turned back to the guards and said calmy, "Proceed with your duties." His eyes, however, screamed, "Insult my wife again and they won't find the pieces."

The couple gracefully strode passed the awe-stricken guards and out of view.

The two guards looked around in shock before one noticed Artemis and started shouting for backup. Looking back at the other Saviors, he exclaimed, "We gotta go!"

With no further explanation needed, the team took off running down the hallway. They ran past the vent they had crawled out of, and into another circular room; this one was decorated in different shades of blue and black. Right in the middle of the room was a dark blue throne with golden trimming.

The trimming was images of three people dying, two being hit with a strange ray, and one running away; all had animalistic characteristics.

What was more frightening than the throne was the person sitting in it.

Instantly, all the Saviors knew who it was.

Deep Blue.

Dozens of guards surrounded the room, making escape nigh-impossible. Deep Blue kept his cold eyes locked with Artemis's, who stood strong while the others shied away behind him. On the outside, Artemis looked like he could snap the fearsome leader's neck right there on the spot. But on the inside, he was desperately trying to remember how to breathe.

"What is this?" Deep Blue's emotionless voice sent an involuntary shiver down all the Saviors' spines.

"Sorry sir, I don't know how they escaped. They were there one minute, then gone – UGH!"

The responsive guard's rambling was put to an end as he fell to the floor, convulsing. Automatically another guard stepped over the dead alien's body and answered, "Sir, they were recovered from Zakuro Fujiwara's underground circuit, The Haven. They have the same properties as the Mews you defeated twenty years ago. This guard's death is a result of one of the Savior's, Mew Diable."

"Explain her."

Deep Blue's harsh command was all the guard needed to proceed.

"She was injected with the DNA of a Tasmanian Devil, but has a cancer that is contagious through saliva. She must have bitten the guard, sir."

His eyes still locked with Artemis's, Deep Blue narrowed them into slits as they glowed an eerie blue.

"Dispose of them."

The single order sent the guards into a frenzy; all trying to stay on their leader's good side, and stay alive.

"Wait!" a bold voice shouted. Everyone froze as the brave (or stupid) alien walked right up to their leader.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could take them for a while as entertainment. My human toy is asleep right now and doesn't want to play," a forest-green-haired alien requested.

"You may have them, but for now, take only three. I'll have the males disposed of," the ebony-haired leader replied with a cruel smile.

"Let them watch. What better way to destroy their mental state than to let them see their friends tortured?" the amber-eyed alien asked with a smirk. Deep Blue returned the smirk and answered, "What a wonderful idea, Kisshu."

Kisshu picked out Artemis, Ukime, and Micky, while the guards forcibly dragged the others to the holding cells below ground. He shoved them through a door and quickly shut it, surprised to see one of the girls crying.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you; I just needed a cover. Your friends are in the prison eight floors below us, but I don't know how to get to them," Kisshu quickly explained in an undertone. Mickey laughed at her emotional display for a second before making eye contact with the strangely friendly alien.

"Why'd you choose us?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"I've read your Haven files. Forgive me, but I don't know your real names. You, Mew Field, can make snap decisions, Mew Joy can project shields to protect you guys, and Mew Sabtuer is the leader of the Saviors. You three will have a better chance at rescuing the others without doing something stupid," Kisshu explained, but was proved wrong when the beautiful Chinese-style dragon vase crashed to the ground. Ukime froze mid-walk, staring at the ornament she'd accidentally bumped.

"Sorry! I'm not very graceful!"

- - - Haven- - -

"What the hell do you mean I can't go!?" Yukai screeched.

Zakuro's cool, commanding voice answered, "Because you are too emotionally involved with this mission, and you'll do anything to get your sister. This is a stealth mission that requires much thought. Both of which you are incapable of."

"But she's my twin! You can't just let the little kid go in on his own! What if something happens to him?! What if they see him?" Yukai shouted, unaware of how pale Seru was getting.

"Yukai, cool it girl," Acedia whispered as _she _noticed how sick Seru looked.

"What if they see him and take him?!"

"Yukai!"

"What if they fucking torture him!?"

Yukai!"

"What if they kill him and we never see him again!?"

"Yukai, shut the hell up!" Acedia yelled as Seru leaned over and threw up in the small waste bin. Yukai's right eye began convulsively twitching; she couldn't believe she was getting left behind!

"Yukai, it is settled. Kibo is going in alone. He will be fine, I will take him to the Inner Circle and wait for him to come out," Zakuro said confidently. Putting a comforting hand on Seru's shoulder, she continued, "I will _not _leave until he has returned, okay?"

Seru nodded weakly as Zakuro transformed into her Mew form, consisting of a purple tube top, shorts, wolf features, and stiletto boots. The woman sadly touched the pendent at her neck before picking up the young boy and disappearing in a blur of purple.

"Stay safe," Seru quietly prayed.

x-x-x

The aliens get Japanese words because Japan is where they earned their legacy.

Zanshin- Original. The way I'm using this means the original group that made everything the way it is. The three originals who first came to earth.

Ikasu- Smart. This is Pai's nickname because he was the smart one out of the original three. Only the original mews, Deep Blue, Kisshu, Taruto, and the Saviors call him Pai.


End file.
